Photo by Max Fray on Unsplash
Dates and Times
- Full Conference: Tuesday, July 28, 10:00 am – Thursday, July 30, 4:00 pm
- Negotiating Orchestras Workshop: Monday, July 27, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
- New Delegate Meet and Greet: Tuesday July 28, 8:30 – 9:15 am
- Host Dinner: Tuesday, July 28, 6:30 pm
Location
- Dallas, Texas / Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Dallas
Host Local and Member Orchestra
- AFM Local 72-147 and Dallas Opera Orchestra
Conference Registration
- REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE HERE: http://ropaweb.org/ropa-join/ropa-conference-registration/ You must also check-in at the conference, where you will receive conference materials and your ID badge. Register by July 1.
Hotel/Reservations (Deadline for ROPA Discount: July 3)
- Hotel: Hilton Garden Inn Downtown Dallas, 1600 Pacific Avenue, Dallas TX 75201
- Phone: (214) 299-8982
- Online Hotel Reservation Link HERE
- Room Rate: $149 + tax
- Check In: 03:00 PM Check Out: 12:00 PM
- Parking: The hotel has Valet Parking available for the group at $40 per night or $15 for daytime attendees, with in and out privileges. There is a public parking garage right next door, typically $17 for up to 8 hours.
- Airport Shuttles Not Available
- Pets: Pets allowed, $75.00 non-refundable fee, $75, 2 pets maximum, dog/cat only
Getting to the Hotel from the DFW and Love Airports
(click on picture for an enlarged image)
- The DART Orange Line Light Rail runs from both DFW and Love Airports, with Akard Station being the stop closest to the hotel.
- The hotel is a short walk from Akard Station:
The following is transportation advice from a ROPA delegate:
“…You can take the light rail from both airports; however, from Love Field (closer and which has all or nearly all Southwest Airlines flights), you’ll need to get a shuttle bus from the airport to the DART rail station, which takes about 7 minutes. If you come into DFW, the DART rail station is at the end of Terminal A, and you can take their very fast Skyrail from terminal to terminal. Cabs/Ubers probably cost around $20 from Love and over $50 from DFW … The DART system costs $3 ($6 for a day pass). I highly recommend it unless your flight gets in late at night and you just want to get to the hotel … In the event anyone takes Amtrak to Union Station, there is also a DART rail stop there, and either the red (towards Parker Rd) or blue (towards Rowlett) line will take you to Akard Station…”
Map of Downtown Dallas and Places of Interest (click the image twice to enlarge)
Agenda
- NEW: Updated Schedule (as of July 27) HERE
Daily Schedule/Documents
- Find handouts, reports and daily schedules HERE
Conference Secretary Email Archive
- Find conference-related Secretary emails HERE as they are sent out.
Orchestra Reports Delegates: LINK NOW LIVE
NEW: Delegates only will be able to view the 2026 Orchestra Reports HERE as they become available. (Delegates: please log in to the website, and follow instructions for viewing restricted pages).
All ROPA Delegates are expected to file a report on his or her orchestra’s situation or activities over the past year. It should be filed with the ROPA Secretary by July 3, 2026. If you don’t get your reports in by the due date, please bring a dozen hard copies of your report to share with the other Delegates in your MAL group. The report should be between 200 and 350 words, and fit on one page.
Please begin your report right now – it’s never too early. Try not to spend more than a half hour to one hour writing your report, but do make it easy to read and understand. You will be able to view the Delegate Reports as submitted by ROPA Delegates for the 2026 Annual Conference in San Francisco, at the link above.
Settlement Bulletins
Settlement bulletins that have been submitted from orchestras which have concluded negotiations this year will be found HERE (link not yet live). (Delegates: please log in to the website, and follow instructions for viewing restricted pages).
Negotiating Orchestra Workshop
If your orchestra is negotiating during the 2026-27 season, the AFM will pay the Pre-approved Orchestra Delegate for the extra hotel night and one day Per Diem for Sunday, July 26 so that you can attend the Negotiating Orchestra Workshop on Monday, July 27.
Elections
This year’s ROPA Officer elections will be for President, Treasurer, four Members-at-Large, and Member-at-Large to the AFM Convention. If you’re interested in running, please plan your travel so you can remain in Dallas over Thursday night in order to attend the post-Conference Executive Board meeting if you’re elected.
Resolutions
If you would like to present a resolution on the floor of the ROPA Conference — especially if it involves an amendment to the ROPA Bylaws — we ask that you submit it, in a format consistent with Robert’s Rules, to Alana Wiesing . Please watch the Delegates discussion list for opportunities to comment on proposed resolutions.
Host a Conference
If you’re interested in hosting a ROPA Conference, please contact us.
To hold a ROPA Conference in your city, ROPA requires an invitation from your Local as well as your orchestra committee. The ROPA Secretary will send you a copy of the guidelines and information for hosting a ROPA Conference, with information your orchestra and your Local will need.
Attendance
All ROPA Delegates are expected to attend the ROPA Conference. If you are a Delegate and can not attend, please make arrangements for your Alternate Delegate to go to the Conference. All ROPA AFM Local Representatives are invited to the Conference, as well as other AFM Federation staff.
If you are a Delegate, your Local is required to pay “the reasonable and necessary expenses of sending one delegate to the appropriate annual conference.” This should include airfare, hotel, and a modest per-diem for meals.
Please attend a meeting of your Local’s Executive Board before the conference to discuss your expenses, and also to tell them what kinds of things you expect to get information about at the conference. This year’s speaker topics will be announced soon.
If you can’t make it to a Local board meeting, at least give a call to your Local officers to talk with them about the ROPA conference.